Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Port Moresby Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Port Moresby

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 61.6% cheaper than Port Moresby without rent, and 26.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 38.8% cheaper than Port Moresby without rent, and 57.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.68 PGK 45.94

$9.53 PGK 40.98

12.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 PGK 236

$47.36 PGK 204

15.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.11 PGK 26.26

Cappuccino

$2.80 PGK 12.05

$2.25 PGK 9.67

24.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 PGK 3.46

$0.75 PGK 3.24

8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 PGK 2.49

$0.85 PGK 3.66

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 PGK 15.30

$2.35 PGK 10.09

51.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 PGK 24.90

$3.97 PGK 17.09

45.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 PGK 9.05

$1.95 PGK 8.39

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 PGK 6.56

$1.61 PGK 6.91

-4.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 PGK 6.10

$1.51 PGK 6.51

-5.96%

Eggs

$4.19 PGK 18.03

$3.92 PGK 16.87

6.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 PGK 44.00

$4.48 PGK 19.25

128.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 42.67

$6.42 PGK 27.59

54.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 PGK 48.78

$9.41 PGK 40.48

20.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 PGK 20.80

$4.04 PGK 17.37

19.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 PGK 12.97

$2.83 PGK 12.15

6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.74 PGK 29.00

$5.53 PGK 23.77

21.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 PGK 7.14

$5.72 PGK 24.58

-70.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 PGK 15.92

$3.41 PGK 14.65

8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 PGK 10.57

$2.82 PGK 12.13

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 PGK 3.15

$2.98 PGK 12.83

-75.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PGK 4.06

$1.27 PGK 5.47

-25.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 PGK 30.83

$6.65 PGK 28.61

7.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 PGK 54.6

$11.50 PGK 49.43

10.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 PGK 11.53

$2.76 PGK 11.88

-2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 PGK 20.22

$3.88 PGK 16.69

21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 PGK 1.48

$0.47 PGK 2.02

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.38 PGK 105

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 PGK 25.61

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 PGK 10.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 PGK 72.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PGK 4.86

$1.09 PGK 4.69

3.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.9K PGK 98.3K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.2K PGK 104.0K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$107 PGK 459

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$47.20 PGK 203

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$374 PGK 1,607

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 PGK 286

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.68 PGK 88.9

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 PGK 41.65

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$635 PGK 2,732

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,048 PGK 17.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.99 PGK 138

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 PGK 161

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 PGK 327

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 PGK 421

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,964 PGK 34.2K

$2,216 PGK 9,530

259.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 PGK 3,279

$480 PGK 2,062

59.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 PGK 6,261

$3,496 PGK 15.0K

-58.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 PGK 3,678

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,142 PGK 9,212

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 PGK 16.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$161 PGK 692

$450 PGK 1,936

-64.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.33

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lae: March 1, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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